St Andrew's
Greek Orthodox Theological College
Reflections on St Andrew’s Symposium on
St Athanasius the Great
S t Andrew’s Greek Orthodox Theological
College recently hosted its 4th annual
patristic symposium, this year dedicated to St
Athanasius the Great. But before giving an outline
of the symposium, I would like to briefly reflect on
what is gradually becoming one of the College’s most
important events.
The symposia started as an initiative of its
conveners, Fr Doru Costache and Dr Philip Kariatlis,
along with some members of the faculty, to explore
the theological and spiritual antecedents of the
Byzantine tradition. With the blessing of the College
Dean His Eminence Archbishop Stylianos, the
symposia were launched with these goals in mind,
and for the past four years St Andrew’s has attracted
scholars from across Australia and beyond; people
from different backgrounds and with a variety of
interests. Surprisingly, one might say providentially,
many of these people have had one thing in common
– a genuine interest in, if not love for, the Church
fathers.
In this way, St Andrew’s has been fulfilling
a very important role for both the Church and
scholarship in the Australian context. On the
one hand, it has provided an important forum
Keynote speaker Dr Adam Cooper in the centre (Melbourne VIC), as well as the conveners Fr Doru Costache (to his left) and Dr Philip
Kariatlis (right) and the delegates of this year’s Patristic Symposium.
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for Orthodox Christians to become academically
reacquainted with those saints of the Church who
were themselves steeped in the knowledge and
intellectual culture(s) of their day (a knowledge
which they nevertheless framed ecclesially). On
the other hand, the College has acted as the locus
of a serious revival of patristic scholarship, perhaps
the first of its kind in the Antipodes. Indeed, the
humble premises in Redfern have become a haven
for both presenters and attendees alike to share
their insights into those aspects of the life, work,
legacy, and even the milieu of the fathers with
which they are acquainted. For this reason, and in
a spirit of mutual learning, the symposia have been
marked by a refreshing interdisciplinarity, with
perspectives ranging from theology, philosophy,
exegesis, spirituality, and history, thereby making
them more and more attractive and accessible to the
broader academic world. In doing so, the symposia
have helped to give a profound and necessary
witness to the spirit of the College, the vision of its
Founder and the legacy of the Church fathers from
both an ecclesial and scholarly perspective.
As mentioned above, this year the symposium
was dedicated to St Athanasius the Great, thereby
facilitating the transition from the Cappadocian
fathers – to whom the past three symposia were
dedicated – to the Alexandrines. Along with the
shift in emphasis came a change in format. The past
three symposia, dedicated to Sts Basil the Great
(2009), Gregory the Theologian (2010), and Gregory
of Nyssa (2011) respectively, were held as weekly
presentations (two an evening) for a period of just
over a month, usually around September, each
year. Due to their growing popularity, as well as
a desire to raise the scholarly standing, this year’s
symposium was organised by the conveners as a
conference over two days, namely the afternoon of
Friday 28th September, and half a day on Saturday
29th. Registration was advertised earlier this year, as
well as a call for papers, with a record number of
nineteen abstracts by scholars from both Australia
and New Zealand being accepted by the conference
panel. Indeed, as the program gradually came
together it became clear that the esteemed keynote
presentation by Dr Adam Cooper, Senior Lecturer
at the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and
Family Life (Melbourne, Victoria) would serve as
the landmark of what would be a two day journey
through the life, writings and legacy of the holy
Alexandrine, a true celebration for the heart and
mind.
At 2:40 pm on 28th September, the Sub-Dean of the
College, His Grace Bishop Seraphim of Apollonias,
opened the symposium with prayer. The dismissal
hymn of St Athanasius the Great was then chanted
by some of the College faculty and students,
followed by a brief yet insightful reflection by His
Grace on the way in which the saint is presented
in Orthodox hymnography. The presentations then
began in earnest, with two parallel sessions running
simultaneously; the first held in the College hall, the
second in the adjacent hall of the Cathedral of the
Annunciation of Our Lady Theotokos.
Those held in the College hall were begun by
Revd Dr Glen O’Brien, Senior Lecturer in Church
History and Head of Humanities at Booth College,
who presented on ‘John Wesley and Athanasius
on Salvation in the Context of the Debate over
Wesley’s Debt to Eastern Orthodoxy.’ He was
followed by Fr Silouan Fotineas, Parish Priest of
St Nectarius Monastery (Adelaide) and a PhD
Candidate at Flinders University, who spoke of
‘The Correspondence between St Athanasius of
Alexandria and St Basil of Caesarea on the Arian
Controversy’; and Professor Diane Speed, Dean
and CEO of the Sydney College of Divinity, with
a paper on ‘St Athanasius’ Life of Anthony and the
Hagiographical Tradition.’ The first of the parallel
sessions held in the Cathedral hall was delivered
by Dr Philip Kariatlis, co-convener of the symposia
and Lecturer in Theology at St Andrew’s, whose
presentation was entitled ‘Soteriological Insights
in St Athanasius’ On the Incarnation.’ This was
followed by ‘The Features of the Theandric Unity
of Christ in St Athanasius’ Letter to Epictetus’ by
Mr Anthony Papantoniou, Associate Lecturer in
Theology at St Andrew’s and PhD Candidate at
the University of Sydney. Finally, Sr Dr Margaret
Beirne, Senior Lecturer in Biblical Studies at St
Andrew’s, presented on ‘St Athanasius and the
Scriptures, Exemplified in His Letter to Marcellinus.’
At the completion of these parallel sessions,
afternoon tea was served in the College hall by
volunteer students, namely Mr Markellos Margellis
(1st year BTh), Mr George Vrionis (2nd year BTh), Mr
George Papoutsakis and staff including Ms Zorka
Simich and Mr Anastasios Kalogerakis. Conference
delegates had an opportunity to exchange im-
pressions and ideas whilst perusing the bookstall
set up in an adjacent classroom. A range of items,
usually available in the Archdiocese bookstore, were
on sale, but one in particular stood out amongst the
rest – Phronema 27:2. This edition of the College’s
bi-annual peer reviewed journal contains articles
based on papers delivered at last year’s symposium
on St Gregory of Nyssa. Indeed, Phronema 27:2 is
the latest in a series, edited by the conveners of
the symposia, which has been based on papers
delivered at the symposia; with Phronema 25 (2010)
in honour of St Basil the Great, and volume 26:2
(2011) dedicated to St Gregory the Theologian (28:2,
scheduled for publication in 2013, will evidently be
on St Athanasius). It is envisaged that all of these
articles, along with additional contributions from
both the College faculty and scholars abroad, will
appear in a collective volume once again edited
by the conveners, entitled Cappadocian Legacy: A
Critical Appraisal, which is scheduled for publication
in 2013. This will be published by St Andrew’s
Orthodox Press.
Then came the keynote presentation, with Dr
Adam Cooper employing all of his considerable
scholarly gifts in addressing a topic that was both
richly nuanced and existentially significant – ‘The
Gift of Receptivity: St Athanasius and the Security
of Salvation.’ Putting forward St Athanasius’
Christocentric vision of salvation, Dr Cooper
emphasised the deifying effects of the incarnation of
God the Son and Logos, both for the human nature
he assumed and humanity as a whole. After some
questions directed to the keynote speaker by the
delegates, the first day of the symposium came to a
close with a dinner prepared by the ladies auxiliary
of the Cathedral of the Annunciation.
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 The second day of the symposium started bright Today.’ Finally, Fr Doru Costache, co-convener of
and early with a reading of the Typica service the symposium and Senior Lecturer in Patristic
led by the Very Reverend Archimandrite Kyrillos Studies at St Andrew’s, presented on ‘The Cosmos
Zissis, Parish Priest of the Cathedral, assisted by as Scripture in Clement the Alexandrian and St
our registrar, Mr Anastasios Kalogerakis, in the Athanasius the Great.’
College’s chapel dedicated to St John the Evangelist After the final presentations had been delivered,
and Theologian. the delegates were ushered into the College
The presentations were once again held courtyard for a group photo before enjoying some
simultaneously in both the College and Cathedral lunch again prepared by the ladies auxiliary. This
halls. The sessions in the College hall were initiated gave us all the opportunity to contemplate and
by Mr Daniel Madigan, Senior Lecturer in Religious discuss, over a common meal, the journey we had
Education at Notre Dame University and PhD all just undertaken into the life, works, and legacy of
Candidate (at Notre Dame), who discussed ‘“Father” the great Athanasius; a journey that was facilitated
as a Divine and Human Name in St Athanasius and by both the conveners of the symposium and the
how His Apophatic Method Can Illumine the Imago College, with the blessing of its Dean.
Dei.’ Rifaat Ebied FAHA, Foundation Professor of In fact I could not envisage such an event taking
Semitic Studies at the University of Sydney, next place anywhere else. With friendships forged and
presented on ‘Quotations from the Works of St much more left unsaid, it is a relief to know that the
Athanasius the Great in Peter Callinicus’ Magnum conveners are already hard at work organising next
Opus, Contra Damianum.’ He was followed by Mr year’s symposium (20-21 September, 2013) which
Ian Michie, PhD Candidate at Macquarie University will, God willing, bring us all together once again;
whose presentation was entitled ‘At the Beginnings a symposium dedicated to another exemplar of
of Christian Hagiography: St Athanasius of the ecclesial tradition, the holy Alexandrine father,
Alexandria and The Life of Antony.’ Revd Jonathan Cyril.
Douglas Hicks, PhD Candidate at the University
of Otago, then spoke on ‘“Flesh of my Flesh”: By Mario Baghos
Didymus’ Trinitarian Reflections on the Creation Associate Lecturer in Patristic Studies and Church History
St Andrew’s Greek Orthodox Theological College
of the Church at Golgotha,’ and was followed by
an additional paper by Professor Ebied entitled ‘A
Short Version in Syriac and Arabic of the Gloria in
Excelsis with Additions by St Athanasius the Great.’
The presentations in the College hall were then
finally capped off by Dr T. Mark McConnell’s paper
on ‘Why Evangelicals Need to (More Carefully)
Read Athanasius.’
I began the sessions in the Cathedral hall with
a presentation entitled ‘Mundus Contra Athanasium:
Portrait of a Saint,’ and was followed by Mr Mark
Baddeley, Lecturer in Doctrine and Church History During the Keynote Speaker’s presentation in the College hall.
at Queensland Theological College, and PhD
Candidate at Oxford University, who spoke on ‘The
Multivalent Scripture: Reflections on Athanasius’
Readings of Gen 1-3 as an Example of Theological
Interpretation of the Bible.’ The next paper,
entitled ‘The Eremitic Citizen as An-chora-ite in St
Athanasius’ Life of St Antony’ was by Mr Andrew
Mellas, PhD Candidate at the University of Sydney.
Mr Daniel Fanous, an independent researcher and
published author, followed with ‘“To Whom was the
Blood of God Offered – to Satan or to the Father?”
St Athanasius on the Mystery of Atonement.’ Revd
Alan Galt, Lecturer in Pastoral Theology at St
Andrew’s, then delivered a paper related to his field
entitled ‘Why did Athanasius Take on the World?
Attentive delegates in the hall of the Cathedral of the
“Integrity” and its Importance for Pastoral Ministry Annunciation of Our Lady Theotokos.
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